From Away

For Memorial Day weekend my friend Kasey came out from Chicago for a visit - we got to do some catching up, get in some shopping, eat some seafood, and soak in the sun.

We had a picnic at Evergreen and saw baby ducks and snapping turtles.

Played a string of candlepin and a few bucks worth of pinball.

Caught the sunset at Prout's Neck

Picked up lupines and local food from the farmer's market - including some tasty greens from my favorite farmers.

We did some shopping for clothes in Freeport.

And some shopping for shellfish in Portland

Caught a game at the ballpark (the first time I ever saw the Seadogs win!)

Made a fabulous local feast - including  Mr. Cleaver's scallops, Kasey's lobster and clam chowdah, and my first (quite successful) attempt at crab cakes

A trip to the chilly beach and a slightly warmer lighthouse.

And don't worry - Mr. Cleaver didn't miss out on all the fun - he just didn't make it into all that many pictures!

(and thanks to Kasey for the great time and the use some of your photos - you're welcome back anytime)

A Walk at Wolfe's Neck

Last night after work Mr. Cleaver and I took a walk at Wolfe's Neck State Park - it was warm and we were two of about a half dozen people at the park. Afterward, we oogled camping equipment at LL Bean and chowed down on slow cooked meat at Buck's Naked Barbecue. That's what I call a perfect evening.

We'd been at Wolfe's neck in the early fall and the late fall, so it was fun to see how the park is different in the spring/summer:

I love the color contrast of new growth -

These are the first wild orchids I have ever seen - they were everywhere!

This was the highest the tide has been on our visits here, it made the coastal parts of the walk look very different.

I couldn't believe how big some of the dandelions were! I saw another non-blooming one that was a least 4 inches taller.

The osprey nest. The chicks should be out an about in another few weeks.

Let's Go To The Movies

Last night Mr. Cleaver and I took the first of what will be many trips to the Pride's Corner Drive-In Theatre in Westbrook, where it's always a double feature. It was a fantastically fun atmosphere, with tons of families and folks who were clearly old pros at the Drive-In Experience. And for $7 for two first-run movies with inexpensive concessions, it's a good bang for your movie-going buck.

Some of my favorite things were all the younger kids in their pajamas and the 60's-era intermission cartoons. And for those wondering, the picture quality is good after the first 15 minutes or so (when it gets dark enough) and the sound plays via your car radio. As for film reviews, we both really enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon, but found Iron MA 2 to be underwhelming. Other than that, the photos are pretty self-explanatory, so I'll leave it to them.

PS - in other news, I met with a physical therapist on Thursday and have been diligently doing my stretches and I can happily say I can fully bend my wrist with no pain! I'm not out of thw woods yet, but this is definitely a positive move forward :)

Roadtrip: Maine Maple Sunday 2010

Every year, the 4th Sunday in March is celebrated state-wide as Maine Maple Sunday. Which is yet another reason to love Maine. Last year, Mr. Cleaver and I visited Merryfield farm in Gorham. This year we cast our syrup-seeking net a bit wider and drove out to Sebago to get our sap and sugar fix. And boy did we ever!

We started off our morning at the Sebago Town Hall for a tasty pancake breakfast benefiting the local fire department. The fire chief himself served Mr. Cleaver his coffee. The hall was packed to the gills with locals, with a few sundry outsides like ourselves.

No Mrs. Butterworth here!

After we'd filled our bellies we drove about five minutes up the road to Greene Maple Farm  - where six generations have been turning sap into syrup.

Outside the Greene sugar shack I overheard the following exchange:

Teenage boy in shorts: "It's cold"

His sister: "It's always cold on Maple Sunday!"

And indeed it was chilly, but it's nice in the sugar shacks next to the evaporators: )

At Greene's we sampled warm maple syrup over homemade vanilla ice cream and picked up a pint to take home.

A pile of tree taps.

Next we stopped at Grandpa Joe's Sugar House over the line in Baldwin., where the Murch's have been in residence since 1916 and making maple syrup since the 1980s.

They had a plethora of goodies at Grandpa Joe's and we came out with some more samples, some maple sugar candy, and, Mr. Cleaver's favorite, maple cotton candy.

Though some strange weather patterns (mostly a string of unseasonably warm days) has significantly cut back on the sap run this year, everyone was proud to demonstrate their craft. And visitors were glad to stand by the fire, which runs around 214°F/101°C.

There may be no more beautiful sight than the stea rising from a Maine sugar house on a cold spring morning.

I can't wait until next year, but at least I got syrup to tide me over :)

Roadtrip: PKOTT at NETA Spa

This Saturday the lovely ladies of Portland Knitters On The Town took a field trip to NETA's Spa, Spin and Knit weekend up in Freeport, where the Hilton Garden and Haraseeket Inns were crawling with Spinners and Knitters from throughout New England.

Many were day trippers like ourselves, but others from New Hampshire and Vermont came to stay for the whole weekend. The Hilton was sold out - primarily to knitters and spinners. It was great to see so many fiber lovers in one place!

There were also a ballroom full of the usual merchants, but being pretty stocked up at the moment, I only purchased a card of beautiful pewter buttons that made me think of a new sweater design almost instantaneously.

With so many spinner around I was inspired to pull out my spindle, which I haven't touched since sometime in late September/Early November, when Christmas and other deadline knitting kicked in.

So while I didn't purchase any yarn, I did come out of the event with some new yarn. Which as Mr. Cleaver accurately described it, "feel like you hair after a day at the beach." It's llama, and yes, it's a bit straw-like. I'm hoping it'll soften up a bit when I wash it (which it seriously needs - so much dye transfer!!), but I'm proud of the thinness and relative evenness of this skein. Inspired, I started spinning it's companion purple fiber last night.

We also made side trips to a BBQ joint and a fabric store. So all in all, it was a good day. :)

February Sunshine

While the Mid-Atlantic has been getting pummeled with inches upon inches of snow, we've been sitting up in Southern Maine with hardly a flake insight. Amazingly it is February and there is more grass to be seen than piels of snow. I'm sure we'll get hit with a doozy of a storm as soon as I post this, but in the meantime, Mr. Cleaver and I have been taking advantage of this February Sunshine.

Last weekend we took my first trip to the Maine Audubon sanctuary in Falmouth. In the past, Mr. Cleaver has gone to the sanctuary to cross-country ski, but we just wandered the trails, holding hands.

It was still cold and breezy, but the sun was so nice we sat on the ground and soaked it in.

I didn't think it possible, but this weekend was even nicer - so we went to the beach.

We picked up pizza and pier fries at Lisa's Pizza and took a walk along the shore at Old Orchard Beach - one of those places that is crawling with tourists in the summer, but lovely and quiet in the winter.

We're currently at a 50% chance of snow for Tuesday, but in a Maine winter, you take what sunny days you can.

Giving Thanks: Family, Food, and Fun

This Thanksgiving, Mr. Cleaver and I had the pleasure of hosting my big brother Luke and his lovely wife Jen for a few days. I think we crammed two days worth of activities into each one, showed the family some Portland-area highlights and had an all-around good time.

Photos 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 by Luke and Jen

Mackworth Island

It was an unseasonably warm weekend, so Mr. Cleaver and I took a couple of long walks to enjoy it, including another jaunt to Mackworth Island. Where we checked in on out fairy house (the roof had caved in), and got close to the wildlife.

Snacking on a nut.

Letting me know I finally got too close!

Not too much to share today, I just felt like posting something. I also finished knitting a pair of socks for the husband this weekend and will try to post some pics later this week.

Anniversaries

2008

2009

As part of our anniversary celebrations, Mr. Cleaver and I once again went to Mt. Bradbury, the site of our first date. We're creatures of habit, what can I say?

Other than my having more hair, I'd say we look about the same.

And early October is a great time to go the mountain, because the color is peaking and the view are lovely. As you'll see below, we weren't the only ones with the idea.

And speaking of anniversaries - it's my 2-year blogaversary! I want to say a big thank you to all of my readers - thanks for hanging in there with me!

Roadtrip: Ricker Hill

With four apple picking adventures under our belt, I present the Cleaver's Guide to a Successful Apple Harvest Trip:

1. Pick a beautiful fall day

2. Get apple cider doughnuts first. It's no good picking on an empty stomach.

3. Eye your prey

4. Don't be afraid to use tools to get the best fruits.

5. Pick the Most Photogenic Wagon to Haul your Harvest

6. Don't be so focused on the apples that you miss out on other marvels.

7. Waste Not, Want Not. Rotten apples explode fabulously when flung from a slingshot.

8. You're never too old for a petting zoo.

9. And never too big to stop being silly.

10. Pick up more apple cider doughnuts on the way out. It's only once a year!